dodge 318 magnum

I understand this forum is primarly designed towards cars but i have a 1997 dodge ram 1500. What i am looking for is a source for performance mods and sugestions. I have built my 79z-28 and am looking to rework it this summer but this is my first time with performance minded build on a mopar platform the engine in target is a 318 magnum from a 1994 ram i installed in the truck after the 360 magnum grenaded its self on the orignal owner. any help will be greatly appreciated. Now for a little on what im looking for from the engine, it must be reliable, im not takeing it to the races but i want good torque and response able to run at 70+mph pulling a trailer in hills. the truck has 2" true dual exhaust w/36"thrush glass packs 16" tires on alum wheels 2wd.
thank you much and keep the great work on the rag going i read it alot     tommie in arkansas  

Grab last issue of Engine Masters. There is an article on getting 400 bhp from a 318. The heads for both the 360 / 318 are the same. They flow well for factory castings but are prone to cracking. There are plenty of ways to get the 318 to make good torque for short money but I would be concerned with running the pcm. A custom flash is at a minimum 350, and the SCT Tuner is 500. And for torque there is no substitute for cubes. The pcm flash is different and swapping computers/ reflashes, etc.. can get pricey. The magnum intake makes good torque but are done at 4400 rpm. So for towing it's good. But that's it. Clearwater Cylinder Head makes the Engine Quest new head like the article in last months Engine Masters. With 1.94 valves for $265 each and with 2.02 valves and springs up to .525 inches of lift for $350 each.  Ive used them both. For a good tow motor I would redo the 360 or get a junk yard short block. There are many. Add the heads, comp cams computer friendly #744, fastman 52mm throttle body, shorty headers..  

The M1 intake wakes these motors up big time. They pull all the way up to 5000rpm. Easily 25-40 HP depending on other mods. But you need to upgrade the torque converter to compensate for the slight drop in off idle torque.  

Hughes engines has lots of performance parts for magnums. heads, cams, ecm up grades(reflash), they have ported fuel injection intakes and very nice throttle bodies. You can call them or go to www.hughesengines.com they are very good to deal with and I have used many parts from them and havent been disappointed yet. Magnum heads are very prone to cracking. I have been running Hughes Iron ram heads on my 360 in my 77 3/4 ton. The are nice pieces, compareable to engine quests heads. I tried the mopar M1 (carb) intake on my truck and it just didn't make the low end for leaveing a stoplight with a trailer in tow like the dual plane did so I switched back.  

a salute to all who read this message.
I also have a 1998 dodge ram 2500, but has many problems with the fuel pump and the valve of the minimum and maximum sensor. I'm thinking about removing all those accessories and put it to work with carburetor, is injured as much and is unreliable. it takes to get it running with carburetor, what type of electrical and mechanical adjustments. and general recommendations I can give for this type of change. this vehicle is for normal use, not for competition. is only for light load.

Thank cuaquier comment.